Door hanger



E. A. ZETMEIR .ay 5, i936.

.DOOR HANGER Filed OC'L. 13, 1934 NN l t u n 1 n Patented May 5, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-les 1 Claim.

My invention relates to hangers more especially intended for baggage car doors, whereby the door is suspended at its top and provided with a track element which moves with the door and is adapted to ride along a plurality of rollers which are adapted merely to rotate about fixed axes, thus eliminating possibility of the rollers becoming misplaced or jammed.

The invention also involves means carried by the door whereby the door is automatically locked in open position and possible injury of the baggage-man or other employee through accidental closing of the door, due to vibration or jolting of the car, will be eliminated; said means, 1nov/ever, permitting the door to be easily and quickly released when desired.

The invention also involves a construction whereby all possibility of drag or sagging of the door is eliminated; the hanger permitting an air-tight relation at the top of the door to be rovided while at the same time an easy operating door is also provided.

The invention involves other features and advantages which will be all more fully comprehended from the detailed description of the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure l iilustrates in elevation the upper end of a baggage car door, with intermediate portions broken away; the door being hung by my improved hanger.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure l as viewed by the arrows.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Figure 2 as viewed by the arrows.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 3, as Viewed by the arrows.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective View of the latching means.

My improved hanger is especially intended for the doors of baggage cars and therefore for purposes of exemplification, it has been shown applied to the sliding type of a baggage car door of which a portion is shown at I while a portion of the car wall immediately above the door opening is shown at II.

Secured to the car wall above the door opening and extending a predetermined distance beyond the opening is a horizontally disposed channel member I2; the top at one end being shown with a depending flange portion I3, while the bottom is shown with an upstanding flange portion I4;

(Cl. Iii-101.)

the member being of substantially C-shape in cross-section beyond the door-opening.

The bottom of the channel member I2, at various points, is provided with the U-shape standards or brackets I which support the journals I6 for the large rollers I1 shown provided with a dished or concaved perimeter. These rollers Il are preferably provided with anti-friction lor roller bearings as shown at I8 in Figure 4 so as to cause the rollers I'I to revolve quite freely. A l0 sufiicient number of these rollers Il are mounted at spaced apart points in the channel member as shown in Figure l; both above the door opening and to the side of the door opening which is provided with the usual guard rack shown at it in Figure l, secured to the depending ange I3 of member I2.

Secured to the inner face of the door iii at the upper end so as to extend thereabove is an inverted L-shaped plate or angle (see Figure 2), with the upper leg 2| disposed horizontally into the channel member I2, overlapping the leg or side I4 of the member I8 ,and arranged to extend over the roller I l. The horizontally disposed Y side 2l of the angle plate 20 is shown provided 25 with an arcuate strip22 adapted to ride on the concaved surface of the rollers I'I.

The strip 22 extends the full length of the angle plate 20 which latter extends the full width of the door I 0; the strip 22 being of thickness 30 sufficient to cause the leg or side 2l of the angle plate 20 to clear the upstanding flange li of the wall member I2. As is apparent from the construction as shown in Figure 2, the strip 22 and the angle plate 2li support the door and the strip 22 rides on the rollers I'I when the door is slid to open or to closed position while the rollers I1 rotate about xed axes.

The brackets I5 are immovably secured to the channel member I2 in any suitable manner as for example by means of rivets as shown at 23; and the angle plate 20 and the upstanding flange I4 of channel member I2 may be provided with oil introducing holes as shown at 24 at points 4- coincident with the journals of the rollers Il; the holes in the members 20 and I2 being adapted to register when the door is in closed position.

With the overlapping portions of the channel member and of the angle member it is apparent that a box-like housing for the rollers and their bearings is provided and consequently a comparatively dirt-proof hanger provided.

After the door plate 20 with its track strip 22 has been put into place over the rollers I1,

thereby suspending the door in place, a guard strip in the form of angle iron 25 is then secured to the wall member I2 so as to lap the top of the horizontal leg 2| of the door plate 20; the angle strip 25 being arranged in slight spaced relation with the door plate 2U so as not to interfere with the free movement of the latter.

This strip 25 at the same time effects a closure for the bearings. This strip 25, as is apparent, will prevent improper upward movement of the door and its hanger plate 20. The door hanger or plate 20 is provided with a slot or hole 26, see Figure 3; and the hanger plate 20 adjacent to this hole is provided with a pair of bracket members 21, 21, one above the other and in spaced relation as shown in Figure 2. These members 21, 21 support a vertically disposed pin 28 on which a latching pawl 29 is pivotally mounted to swing horizontally.

The enlarged or head end of the pawl is yieldingly held in the opening 26 of the door member 20 by means of spring 30 which is coiled about the pin 28, with one end bearing against the door plate or member 20, while the other end of the spring is disposed through the slot 3| of latching pawl 29 and exerts outward pressure against the tail end of the pawl as shown in Figure 3.

At a predetermined point the wall member I2, namely the upstanding flange I4 thereof, is provided with a suitable hole 32, with which the opening 26 in the door plate or member 20 is intended to register when the door I has been 'moved to complete open position.

With the spring 30 exerting pressure against the tail end of pawl 29, the head end of the pawl will automatically enter hole 32 as soon as the door has been opened and the hole 26 is brought to register with the hole 32.

As is apparent from the construction as shown in Figure 3, the enlarged head of the pawl will prevent movement of the door to closed position or toward the left in Figure 3 and hence the danger of accidental closing of the door and possible injury to the baggage man or others standing in the door opening will be prevented. At the same time when it is desired to close the door, this may be very easily accomplished by simply pressing the tail end of pawl 29 toward the door, thereby causing the head end to be withdrawn from the opening 32 in the upstanding ange I4 of the Wall member I2.

As soon as the head end of the pawl 29 has been withdrawn from the opening 32 in the flange I4 of the wall member I2 and the door moved to Where the opening 26 is out of register with opening 32, the pawl may be released as the head of the pawl will slide or ride along the imperforate portion of the flange I4 until it again reaches opening I4.

As shown in Figure 2, the roller bearings and door carrying trackway are all completely enclosed making ingress of dirt or foreign matter impossible, while at the same time the angle bar or strip 25 also prevents upward movement or Wedging of the door and a more or less weather sealed relation provided.

It will be understood that the latch mechanism is preferably secured adjacent what may be termed the front end of the door so as to allow the door to be moved to complete open position between the main side wall of the car and tlie usual guard 'rack I9 and be locked in the open position by having the pawl enter the opening in the flange I4 of wall member I2; the guard I9 forming a pocket toy receive the door.

Although my improved hanger is especially adapted for the doors of baggage cars, it is equally well adapted for garage doors and the like; and while the construction shown and herein described is believed to be the simplest and best embodiment of the invention, modifications are possible and may be made Without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

A door hanger of the class described comprising a channel member adapted to be secured to the car wall above the door opening with the open side of the channel disposed laterally and the member adapted to extend horizontally beyond the door opening, the lower part of the member being substantially U-shape in cross section to provide a roller channel open at the top and located beneath the outwardly disposed leg or side of the main channel member; a plurality of brackets xedly secured in spaced relation on the bottom of said last mentioned channel and each having a roller journaled therein; an inverted L-shape plate adapted to be secured at the top of the door with the horizontally disposed leg thereof extending across the top of the rollerreceiving channel in saidcar wall channel member, the lower surface of said leg of the L-shape plate being provided with a roller-engaging strip coacting with said rollers to prevent lateral shifting movement and the door thereby supported on 'the rollers; and a guard strip removably secured to the first mentioned channel member in overlapping relation with the horizontally disposed leg of the L-shape door plate.

EMIL A. ZETMEIR. 

